Nigeria’s power sector continued to struggle in October as only an average of 5,506 megawatts of electricity was delivered to consumers out of a total installed capacity of 13,625MW, according to a newly released factsheet by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Naijaonpoint reports that the figure represents just 40 per cent of available plant capacity for the month under review.
NERC noted that the slight improvement from September translated to a marginal two per cent rise in available energy, but the sector remains constrained by chronic operational challenges.
The commission reported that electricity supply during the month was largely driven by the country’s top 10 power plants, which together accounted for about 80 per cent of total generation.
Major hydro and gas-fired plants such as Egbin, Delta, Kainji, Shiroro, Okpai, Geregu, and Ihovbor dominated output.
Despite having an average available capacity of 5,506MW, the grid only generated about 4,290 megawatt-hours per hour throughout the month, giving an average load factor of 78 per cent.
NERC observed that this value remained unchanged from September, underscoring persistent inefficiencies across the system.
Egbin Power Plant recorded an availability factor of 50 per cent but delivered a high load factor of 90 per cent, producing an average of 591MWh/h. Delta Power Plant achieved an average generation of 347MWh/h with 45 per cent availability and an 86 per cent load factor. Kainji posted one of the highest load factors in the industry at 95 per cent, though its availability stood at 75 per cent.
Zungeru Hydropower Plant recorded a perfect 100 per cent availability but operated at a lower load factor of 47 per cent, producing 330MWh/h in October. In Calabar, the Odukpani plant delivered a load factor of 84 per cent despite a low availability of 31 per cent, which NERC said pointed to persistent fuel-related limitations.
Geregu remained one of the most dependable generation assets with 50 per cent availability and a 92 per cent load factor, delivering 200MWh/h. Afam I posted a 91 per cent load factor with 114MW available, while Geregu II operated at a 64 per cent load factor at 110MW availability. Meanwhile, Rivers I, Okpai II, and Alaoji I produced no power during the entire month.
The factsheet also highlighted ongoing grid instability. The average lower transmission voltage for the month was 294.55kV, while the upper voltage reached 346.90kV. NERC stressed that both figures were outside the prescribed safe operating range of 313.50kV to 346.50kV, indicating persistent over-voltage and under-voltage incidents across several transmission corridors.
Grid frequency also remained unstable. The average lower frequency was recorded at 49.46Hz and the upper frequency at 50.69Hz, which exceeded the recommended band of 49.75Hz to 50.25Hz. The report emphasised that these deviations continue to threaten the reliability of the national grid.
Naijaonpoint reports that the NERC’s report comes days after the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, stated that the national grid is capable of transmitting 8,500MW without collapsing.
He blamed the country’s low electricity output on a misalignment between demand and consumption levels, stressing that Nigeria’s power challenges go beyond transmission constraints.
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